Make a Memory
by ChainedWings
Summary: Ten years. What happens when Takao sees Kai again after ten long years of not knowing where Kai was? TyKa RayMax. Shounen Ai. Song used: Make a memory - Bon Jovi. Soon:How will Makoto react on Takao and Kai's relationship, and will he see Gou as a brother
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I do not own beyblade and do not make any money out of it. I'm writing pure for my and your fun  
Don't own the song and lyrics to: you want to make a memory sung by Bon Jovi from the album Lost Highway. (which, by the way, is a GREAT album )

**Summary**: Song fic. Ten years. What happens when Takao sees Kai again after ten long years of not knowing where Kai was? Pairings: TyKa RayMax. Yaoi.

My first attempt in trying to write a song fic, let alone a One shot. (Constructive) criticism is welcomed

**Make a memory **

"Really Max, why should I go to a party where I don't even belong?" wondered Takao while looking at himself in the mirror. He had to admit that a tux didn't look too bad, but it just didn't feel right. "Why should an archaeologist need to go to a party where there is no-one to talk with except for you?" complained the young adult. "It's not like I understand business language." shuddered the blue haired adult.  
"Because I told my mother you would come. Rei and Kenny are coming too! It'll be fun!" replied the blond, as energetic as ever, even though ten years had passed since their last world championship together. "Besides, you haven't gone out in ages! You should have some fun more often." replied Max.  
"That's the point buddy, I don't think I can have fun in a place where no-one knows me, and I know only you guys. I'd rather go to a bar or something like that." whined Takao while sitting down on his bed .  
"But every time I invite you to go to a bar you decline, telling me you've got work to do." teased Max. "C'mon Takao buddy. It's been way too long since we had fun together. We don't need to stay at the party the whole time. We could go somewhere else afterwards."  
Takao sighed deeply. He wasn't going to win this. "Okay then, but no later than twelve. I do have to give guest lectures tomorrow." he sighed. 'If only Kai were still here...'

Max quickly disappeared in the bathroom and locked the door behind him. He called Rei.  
"Yo, plan worked. He's coming. Are you sure Kai's coming too?"  
"You're mother has sent the invite, I reckon he'll come, _because_it was your mother who invited him. We'll just have to wait and see. I'll see if I can find him during the party, and lure him to you and Takao, okay?" planned the neko-jin.  
"Sounds like a plan to me. See you in fifteen minutes." said Max happily. "Love you."he added and hung up. He flushed the toilet to make it look he actually went, and left the bathroom.

"You ready Takao?" he called, playing with the car keys he was holding in his hands.  
"Yeah, let's go." said the blue haired man, his mood brightened somewhat. For some reason he was feeling like a schoolgirl on her first date. He didn't know why, but he felt excited.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Sir?" called a cautious female voice through the intercom."Hnn." grunted the Hiwatari enterprise CEO.  
"Need I remind you that there's a party tonight in the city opera?"  
"Who's party?" asked the man, remembering there was some sort of fashionable party, but not who was giving it.  
"Judy Tate sir."  
'Right.' thought Kai. 'No way getting myself out of this one.' "Prepare the limo. I'll be ready in fifteen minutes."  
"Yes sir."

Kai sighed, leaning back in his soft, comfortable, huge leather chair behind just a enormous desk. 'I wonder if Max will be there too...Last time I was at Judy's I managed to avoid him...Perhaps..._he_ will come...no, impossible. He's probably in Japan, and even if he's here and he probably doesn't know I'm coming, and even if he does know, I doubt he wants to see me...'  
The dual haired man sighed again and made his way to the bathroom, adjacent to his office, to freshen up. He wasn't wearing his trademark paint anymore. He'd stopped after he'd quit (official) beyblading, ten years ago.

Again.

He'd disappeared, not letting the blade breakers know where he'd gone. Not even Takao knew. Kai had betrayed his team again.  
"Ten years..." he said to himself, watching himself in the mirror, water drops running down his cheeks. "It's been too long Kinomiya...but I just can't...I cant..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Whilst entering the opera house Takao immediately regretted giving in to Max. All those people in suits and ties... he clearly didn't belong here.  
Max noticed the hesitation in his blue haired friend and pulled him along. "C'mon. It's gonna be a party to remember, trust me." he said hinting a deeper meaning. Takao heard the hinting, but he couldn't figure out what the blond meant.  
"Mom! Nice to see you again!" called the blond, hugging his mother. Even though they lived only a few blocks from each other they rarely saw each other thanks to Judy's work and Max's beyblade school.  
"Max! How have you been, and hi! Takao, haven't seen you around in a while. What brings you to New York?" the blond haired woman asked.  
"School. I'm giving a couple of guest lectures tomorrow and the day after. You seem as healthy and beautiful as ever, Judy." he added smiling.

Takao had grown up, the last ten years. Too fast, some thought, especially Rei and Max were concerned sometimes. Even Hilary had noticed, and she was travelling around the world and was rarely back home in Japan. The sudden leave of Kai had hurt Takao more than anything else ever had in his life. He pretended to be fine, but everyone who knew him could see he was still in pain, and still waiting. Takao _had_ dated a couple of times, the last few years, but had never really started a relationship, let alone a serious one. Max and Rei were getting worried.

One day, about four months ago, Judy called Max. She'd found Kai. She'd seen him on a convention in Russia as representative of Hiwatari Enterprise. The blond had been quite shocked. Kai wasn't even trying to hide where he was...That's when Rei came up with a plan to hook Takao and Kai up again. They couldn't stand it that Takao tried to look happy, but on the inside their friend was broken, perhaps beyond repair. They wanted to help him in the best way they could, and this was the only option left. Confront them with each other. They knew it could backfire completely, but knowing each other they figured that they would at least give each other the time to explain things.

Especially Kai.

"Have you seen Rei yet mom?" asked Max, scanning the crowd.  
"Not yet. I... Oh, hey, there he is." said Judy pointing to the entrance.  
The neko-jin was wearing traditional Chinese clothing, no tux. He blushed when he saw that even Max had dressed up.  
"I hope I don't stand out too much..." he whispered after he'd given Max a hug.  
"As long as no-one else but I gets you tonight I don't mind." teased the blond.  
Takao sighed. "Let's go somewhere where it's not as crowded as here... You two draw too much attention." he teased.  
"You two go ahead." said Rei. "I'll get us some drinks. I'll find you." he said, smiling when he realised that Takao was doing exactly what he and Max had planned.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rei deliberately took his time getting the drinks, eying the entrance as if his life depended on it.

Suddenly he saw Kai.

'He's changed...but I guess we all have.' thought the neko-jin. He approached his former team-captain.  
"Kai? Is that you?" he asked carefully. "It is you, isn't it. You look different without your face paint." Rei said. "Long time no see! How have you been?" he added.  
"Rei..." was the only thing Kai said. He certainly didn't expect to see him here. "Hi." he managed to say. "Fine I guess. Are you here alone?" wondered Kai. 'Takao is not here...is he?'  
"No. I'm here with Max. Coming along? He's in the back somewhere..."  
"I need to speak with Judy first.""Sure. I'll wait." said Rei smiling.  
Kai sighed. 'This is not feeling right. He's up to something. Did he bring Takao here?'

When Kai found Judy they made some chit-chat before Rei pulled Kai away.

"Sorry Judy, I'm borrowing him for a while."  
The blond woman smiled. "Sure. Thanks for coming Kai." she added.  
Kai nodded and was pulled along with Rei, wondering why he was all hyper upped. He couldn't think anything else but that Takao was also on the party.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kai sighed inwardly when he saw only Max waiting for Rei. He didn't notice Rei's suprised look though , and Max signalling not too worry."Guess who I found!" played Rei.  
"Kai! It's been ages!" said Max, making Kai flinch inwardly. He knew though that the blond didn't mean any harm with the comment but even so... "How have you been? Where have you been?"  
"Everywhere and nowhere. You've grown a lot."  
"So have you." replied Max.  
"Hey." pouted Rei. "You didn't say that when you saw me just now?" he played.  
Kai sighed with a smile on his face. Max and Rei hadn't changed at all.  
"Max has always been the smallest in the group, he's longer than me now! You on the other hand are still at the same height as you were when we were younger. Compared to me."  
Max grinned. "Very true." he said accepting the drink from Rei.With Takao in the men's room, Rei gave the third drink to Kai.  
"I heard from Judy that you're head of Hiwatari Enterprise nowadays. Decided to take over your grandfathers work?" asked Rei to break an awkward silence.  
"Yeah." replied Kai, sipping the wine. He'd never really liked wine, but he had to admit that it didn't taste too bad. Suddenly though, after taking another sip, he froze. He couldn't swallow. It felt like someone was staring at his back intensely. Max, who was standing opposite of Kai saw who was staring at Kai, and Rei noticed soon too. They murmured something about needing to go to the bathroom...together..._at __the __same __time_..._**coincidentally**_...and quickly left.

Kai slowly turned around, staring into storm blue eyes.

"..."  
"..."  
"Hi." said Kai eventually after he managed to swallow the wine.  
"...Kai?" asked Takao.

_Hello again, it's you and me_

"...It's me Kinomiya."  
"I...where have you been?" asked Takao, fighting his tears.  
"Around..." came the quick reply.  
"You're avoiding a straight answer as usual Hiwatari."

_Kinda always like it used to be_

"Where have you been _the __last __ten __years_." Takao said, emphasising the last part.  
Kai winced. He put away the glass of wine and said nothing for a while. Neither did Takao. They just stared at each other, thinking what could've happened in the others life in ten years. Thinking of how they coped with the situation.

_Sippin' wine, killing time  
Trying to solve life's mysteries_

"...How are you Takao?" asked Kai after an period of silence. He was surprised sound came out of his voice. He was feeling extremely nervous, and was at a loss of words. "It's been a while since the last time we saw each other..." the CEO thought, not noticing he said it out loud.

_How's your life, it's been a while_

Takao blinked his tears away. "You were the one that left, not telling us where you'd went." he managed to say, his voice thick with emotion, trying to sound angry, but it didn't work.  
"I know... Shall we go...somewhere more private?" offered Kai.  
Takao didn't reply at first. 'Do I want to make it up with him? He's caused me so much pain...' "Sure." Takao said eventually. "Where to?" he added. "Your place?"  
"Hnn." nodded Kai. "Sure." he said leaving the building together with Takao.  
"It's not far to my apartment. Let's walk." said Kai, not wanting to call his driver to get him back to his apartment.  
"I can drive us. Max can take a ride back with Rei."  
"Okay..." Kai said.

The short ride to Kai's apartment was silent. Neither spoke except for the occasional 'right' or 'left'. Both had to sort out their feelings.

"Good evening sir." called the receptionist. She smiled and gave Kai some letters. "These came in for you earlier today. There has also been a call from mr. Dion, he said he would call back later.""Thanks. May someone ask for me, I'm not here." said Kai accepting the letters. He made his way to the elevator and signalled Takao to follow him.  
"Have a pleasant evening mr. Hiwatari." said the blond woman just before the doors closed.

"How long have you been living in this apartment?" asked Takao, trying to break the silence.  
"Just a couple of weeks. My grandfather had apartments all around the world, and I inherited them all." he explained, not looking at the blond.  
"He died then? I thought he was sent to jail for what happened in Russia?" asked Takao.  
"He was. He died of an heart attack while doing his time."  
"When?"  
"Ten years ago."  
"..."

Takao was about to respond when the elevator doors opened. Kai stepped out first, unlocking the door to his apartment, which was close to the elevator. "Come on in. Shall I make some tea?"  
"Yeah, I'd appreciate it." the blue haired young adult said.  
"Make yourself comfortable."

While Kai disappeared in the kitchen Takao observed the apartment. The first thing he noticed when he was in the living room was the wall of glass, giving a beautiful view of the city.

'He's got a penthouse apartment! I should've known...' thought Takao. He opened one of the sliding glass doors and stepped on the balcony, which was bigger than the living room itself. He shivered slightly when he felt a cold breeze but didn't go back inside just yet. He leaned on the railing and admired New York in it's night glory.'I remember standing on some buildings roof in the first year of the blade breakers. We had such fun back then, although Kai tried to distance himself. He was there, and that was all that mattered. He supported us through thick and thin, may have given up too soon sometimes, but he never strayed from his goal. I still admire him for that.'  
"Takao?" called Kai, standing in the glass door. "You should get in, it's quite cold outside."  
Takao turned to the former team captain, looking at the two mugs of steaming tea in his hand.  
He observed Kai. Even though Kai wasn't wearing his face paint anymore he still looked the same. Older, but his main features hadn't changed. And gods, his eyes. His eyes were as fiery as ever. Though at the moment they watched him in concern.

Takao smiled. Sincerely.

_God it's good to see you smile_

Kai smiled back. "You coming in?"  
"Yeah."  
Takao sat down on the couch, his knees pulled up to his chest. He accepted the offered cup of tea and warmed his hands with it.  
"Cold?" asked Kai  
Takao shook his head. "Not really."

There was an awkward silence again, neither knowing what to say, not knowing where to start. Kai took out his coat and untied his tie. Takao didn't bother to take out his jacket. He didn't think he would be staying long anyway.

Kai was the first the spoke, he had more to tell. He was the one who left.  
"Takao...I..."  
"It started with your grandfather's dead, didn't it?" interrupted the blue haired young man.

Kai nodded, sipping his tea. "Right after our last battle as bladebreakers, I got a call from Mr. Dickinson. He received all information what happened in jail. He called me, asked me to come over and told me what had happened. It didn't really matter to me, I never liked the man. But then Mr. D started about Hiwatari enterprise. Even though grandfather didn't think too highly of me, I was the only heir, and thereby inherited the company."

"So you took over the company?"  
"I didn't want to at first. I hesitated. I'm not a business man, back then I didn't even know what exactly Hiwatari Enterprise was doing. Mr. Dickinson was given all information about the company that could be important to me. The Russian state more or less made him my unofficial guardian." explained Kai before Takao could ask.

"He told me to decide on my own, that he would support whatever decision I made. I could take over the company, or I could just let it go, let someone else take my place. If I had done that I could've continued with my life as it was. Biggest problem was where to stay. Grandfather made the will so, that if I didn't take over the company, I couldn't use Hiwatari property. Money, houses, etc. The money I didn't care about. Mr. D was willing to support me financially. A house I could find on my own too, but when I found out how many people in and around the company had suffered thanks to my grandfather's actions, I decided to take over the company and do a better job than my grandfather."

Takao smiled. Even though Kai seemed cold and ruthless on the outside he definitely had a soft side. Somewhere, Takao would've been disappointed if Kai hadn't taken Hiwatari Enterprise. But...

"Hiwatari Enterprise is positioned all over the world, right?"  
Kai nodded.  
"Japan also."  
Kai nodded again.  
"Then..."  
"I...I had to start in Russia, where all things started. I intended to stay just a little while, but it eventually took me two years before only the company in Russia was back to normal again. I've wanted to contact you, apologise for leaving without saying a word, but every single time I found some time to make a call I was either disturbed by Kenny calling me, or it was in the middle of the night in Japan."  
"You could've woken me at any moment of the day Kai...""I realise that now, I guess I used that excuse for myself because I was too scared to call..."

Both men were silent again for a while.

"Kenny knew you were in Russia then?" asked Takao, drinking some of his tea.  
Kai nodded. "He helped me hook up all the computers to one database. He's got access to it, so has my laptop. Don't blame him for not telling you anything..."  
"You asked him to not tell me?" asked Takao carefully. 'How can Kenny not tell me? I thought we were friends...' thought the blue haired adult.  
"No. I never asked him to lie to you, or to not tell. I couldn't ask such a thing of him. He must've decided it on his own."

Takao didn't know how to reply. He really felt betrayed by Kenny, for he had asked their 'chief' often if he had heard anything about Kai, if he had received a call or an email or so, but he never told him anything. On the other hand he admired Kenny for keeping quiet for such a long time.

"It must've been very difficult for him to not tell...but it all makes sense now...the three weeks he was suddenly on a vacation, and he couldn't tell us where...He never takes a vacation!" sighed Takao. "I should've know..."

"No. No you couldn't have known. The first few months I wanted to contact you so badly, but I couldn't. I wanted to see you, but something stopped me. After a few years I even tried not to think of you anymore. I hid myself from the world, working form sunrise to late in the night, not allowing myself any free time. At one point I even stopped asking Kenny how you were doing. Last thing I heard was that you were starting to give lectures at universities. That's...three years now?" asked Kai, not remembering the correct span of years.

Takao nodded.

"I really wanted to see and speak with you Takao. I can understand if you don't believe me...I can understand if you hate me...I..."  
"Wait..." said Takao stopping Kai. "Let me tell my story before we start accusing ourselves." said Takao.

Kai nodded, drinking the now almost cold tea.

"I...when I noticed you were gone I immediately went to Mr. Dickinson to ask if he knew where you were." started Takao, closing his eyes as he recalled that day. "He told me that he didn't know where you had run off to this time. I didn't believe him. He always knows where someone is, especially you. No matter how hard I tried though, he wouldn't say a word, and eventually I stopped asking him. The others didn't know where you were either, safe for Kenny, who was on his 'vacation.' We guessed you'd went to some other school or something, escaping the commotion of beyblading for a while, like you did a year before. I didn't feel betrayed. Yet." said Takao leaving a short pause.

"When we still hadn't heard _anything_ about you mid-term I started wondering if something bad had happened. 'What if he had some sort of accident, wherever he is,' I thought. The thought of you just having left somewhere without saying us because you didn't want to know us anymore came to my mind once, and it scared me. I was sick of myself, not believing I could think about you like that."

"The others though, had already given up hope, I think. They tried to support me as best as they could, but after we graduated everyone went their own way. Max started his own beyblade school, Rei went back to China for a year before he came to New York to be with Max. Kenny started his own business, and I now know he also 'worked' for you. Hilary wrote a book, became famous in an instant, and is constantly travelling the world, meeting people who have read one of her books. She's written fifteen already. I was at a loss what to do after my exams, so I contacted my father and helped him with work. He's in Egypt at the moment. Hiro is at the BBA in Tokyo." continued Takao.

"I never gave up upon you Kai. I've always waited for your return, not wanting to believe anything else than that you had a reasonable explanation for your sudden departure."  
"Takao.." said Kai, slight disbelieve, concern and love in his voice. His eyes were getting teary, his body yearned to cuddle up next to Takao, to feel the warmth of his body.  
"I don't hate you Kai. I don't feel betrayed. I...I just...I've missed you so much!" the blue haired man said, his eyes teary.  
Kai set down the empty mug on the table and approached Takao. Said teen nodded when Kai signalled if he could sit next to him. Kai hugged Takao softly.  
"I've missed you too. Can you forgive me Kinomiya Takao?" asked Kai, trying to keep his voice steady.

Takao leaned into Kai, closing his eyes, inhaling Kai's scent he'd missed for so long. He ran his hand through the dual coloured hair, which seemed a lot shorter than he remembered. Kai almost purred. Oh how he had missed their physical contact.  
"If you promise you'll never disappear from me again I'll forgive you. Don't you ever dare leave me alone again. I need you Hiwatari Kai."  
"So do I...so do I." Kai said, not bothering to hide his tears anymore. He buried his head in Takao's lap, too many emotions running through his body. He was relieved, but still felt guilty.

Both men just sat on the couch for a while, Takao's hands slightly rubbing Kai's back until his sobs had disappeared. Only then Kai noticed that Takao was crying too.  
"Takao...love..." he said, slowly getting up. "I love you." he said, his amethyst eyes locking with sapphire ones.  
"I love you too." replied Takao. They kissed, carefully and short at first, both men not wanting to rush.

Suddenly though Takao's cellphone buzzed. The teen sighed.

"Let it be. Whoever it is will call back." complained Kai. He didn't want to miss another second together with Takao.  
"It's not someone. It's my alarm clock." answered Takao. It's 1 AM already...I set the alarm so I wouldn't stay on the party too long. I've got to give two guest lectures tomorrow on the university..."  
Kai groaned softly. "Call the university tomorrow morning that you're sick. I don't want you to leave Takao."  
"Neither do I, koibito. But I really have to go." Takao said apologising. He reached for the keys in his pants. "Do you have something to write on?" he asked, reluctantly standing from the couch.  
"On the kitchen table. There should be a pen and paper there...why?" asked Kai confused.  
"I'll write down the hotel and room number. Oh, and my cell too. I..."

_I see you reaching for your keys  
Looking for a reason not to leave_

"Will I see you tomorrow?" asked Takao carefully.  
"If you want to. Of course." said Kai smiling faintly.  
Takao smiled. "I've got a lecture from nine to eleven thirty, and one from twelve to two thirty."  
"Pick you up at two forty five then?" asked Kai.  
"Sounds like a plan."  
Kai stood from the couch, and approached Takao. He hugged him for behind.  
"I've got a better plan. Why don't you stay here tonight? The university is not far from here." he said inhaling Takao's scent.  
"I don't know Kai..." hesitated Takao. He knew that if he would stay that they would hardly get any sleep that night. They still had a lot to catch up, let alone that Takao hadn't slept too well the last few days. He really needed his rest.  
"I want to stay, but I don't think it's wise...not yet..." said the teen.

_If you don't know if you should stay_

'Truth is...' thought Takao. 'I want nothing else but be with Kai. Forever. I never want to let go of him again. But it's all too soon. So much has happened.'  
"You're hesitating..." observed Kai.

_If__ you __don'__t __say __what'__s __on __your __mind  
Baby __just __breathe  
_

"You should do what seems best to you. I'm not going anywhere anymore." said Kai. "What difference does it make if you stay here or go to your hotel room. You probably won't fall in sleep over there. Here we can perhaps make each other sleep." offered Kai. "Sleep is perhaps the thing we need most at the moment. I'll wake you in time for college. I'll even make you breakfast if you want. Spend the night with me Takao."  
"..."

_There's nowhere else tonight we should be_

"All right. You got spare pj's?" asked Takao, turning to Kai, kissing his lover again. "No wait. Never mind. I've got a better plan." said the older of the two, his eyes glistering with lust. He didn't really care what happened tonight anymore. He wanted Kai to be a part of him forever. _  
_

_You wanna make a memory?  
_  
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Authors note: That was quite difficult to write. Tell me how I did.  
Oh, and for those who noticed, Yes, I didn't use all the lyrics because I thought it would be appropriate to end it here.


	2. Chapter 2

Yes! It's true! It's not a one-shot anymore!! I couldn't help but continue the story. No song used in this part, I didn't think it'd be necessary. This part will be centered mainly around Kai, Takao and Gou. Makoto will be introduced in the following part, which I still have to write XD 

**Sidenote**: I haven't read the manga, I only learned about the existence of Gou and Makoto through the internet. Therefore I can't really say if this is a spoiler or not, but I don't think so. Enjoy

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Beyblade, nor the characters etc. I do not make money out of this, I write purely for fun.

**Part II Make a memory**

Kai groaned as the blankets were pulled away from his body. "Lemme sleep." he mumbled, hardly audible.  
"And here I thought I was difficult to wake up." teased Takao, softly tickling Kai's feet. The dual haired teen instinctively pulled his legs closer to his body. He cracked an eye open and stared at Takao.  
"Morning." he yawned after having remembered what had happened the night before. He glanced at the alarm clock, his eyes widening. "Takao. Love. Did you just wake up before seven?" he gawked. "You never wake up five minutes before wherever you need to go!" said the former team-captain sitting up, stretching himself.  
Takao grinned. "I guess I'll never stop surprising you." he teased. "Now get dressed. I'm making breakfast. You want some?"  
Kai nodded, yawning slightly again. 

Takao, already having washed himself and already dressed, made his way to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast. He could here Kai rummage through his closet, and saying something that resembled "I still can't believe it he woke up this early..."

Takao giggled. He felt good. Having slept next to his lover had done miracles, and even though the both of them still had a lot to talk about, it just felt right. No matter what would happen, he would stay with Kai for the rest of his life.  
Suddenly someone rang the doorbell. "Hello?" called a female voice.  
"One minute!" called Takao. "I'm coming." he added before Kai could even monitor what was going on.  
"Takao, who are you talking to?" asked Kai, combing his hair while he made his way to the kitchen. When he didn't see the blue haired teen he suddenly realised that he had heard the doorbell. And the only one to come by this early a day was...

"Takao! Wait!" called Kai, dropping the hairbrush, speeding to the door.  
"...Good morning..." stammered Takao, looking at a blond haired woman with a look a like, miniature Kai standing next to her.

Damn-- hissed Kai inwardly.

The woman, noticing the tension between both men, spoke. "I don't have much time; I've got a meeting in fifteen minutes. Can you watch Gou today?" she asked Kai, watching her watch, emphasising the fact she was in a hurry.  
Kai nodded. "Sure. When will you pick him up again?"  
"Somewhere later this day. I'll call."  
"Okay. Come on in Gou. Breakfast is almost ready, or have you already eaten?"  
The boy shook his head. "I just woke up. Mom pulled me out of bed and carried me along." said the boy, still in pyjamas.  
"See you later Akahana." said Kai, closing the door after Gou made his way to the kitchen.  
He leaned against the door and sighed, looking Takao in his eyes.  
"I meant to tell you Takao. If I had known he would come today I would've told you yesterday."  
"Daddy! Can I have a sandwich with peanut butter?" called Gou from the kitchen.  
"Sure buddy. Just don't make a mess." called Kai back.

Takao was silent. He didn't know what to say, he didn't know where to start.

"Look, Takao. I...Akahana and I...it was nothing, only once. I did not love her, and I still don't. I've never stopped loving you Taka." assured Kai, holding the bluenette's hand. Takao, staring into nothingness, focused his attention to the crimson eyes staring at him.  
"Kai...I..."  
"Daddy! Can I turn on the television?" called Gou, interrupting both men again.  
"Don't you have school today?" called Kai back.  
"No." called Gou back, too wishful to Kai's liking.  
"Forgive me Taka love, but I need to call Akahana, just for a second."  
Takao nodded. "Sure. Afterwards I have something to tell you, okay?"  
Kai nodded, reaching for his cell phone.

"Akahana, sorry for bothering you so soon but I need to know if Gou has school today or not."  
"He hasn't. The teachers have some sort of teacher-study-day. The whole school is off.," answered Akahana. "I should've told you...," she said on an apologising tone.  
"It's fine. See you later."

"Can I turn on the television now?" called Gou again when the boy had noticed Kai had finished his call with Akahana.  
"Go ahead, but get dressed first. There a clean clothes for you in your bedroom." said Kai, focusing his attention on Takao again. "What is it you wanted to tell me?" he asked.  
"I..." Takao reached in a pocket of his pants, getting out his wallet. He got out a picture and showed it to Kai. "I've got a son too." he said averting his gaze.

Kai stared at the boy on the photo. He didn't seem much younger than Gou, and he could certainly see he was Takao's son. They were like two drops of water.  
"His mother is Naomi...kinda the same story as you and Akahana." added Takao softly.  
"He is with his mother for two weeks, in Japan." explained the bluenette. "Normally he stays with me. I teach him myself, so he's not bound to schools, so he can travel along with me."  
"What's his name?" asked Kai, giving the picture back to Takao.  
"Kinomiya Makoto. Naomi named him. I wanted him to be called 'Kai' but she wouldn't have it. 'I gave birth to him so I get to decide his name' she said." quoted Takao.  
Kai grinned. "I'm glad she named Makoto the way she did."  
"Why's that?"  
"Because, if you're willing to, having two Kai's living in the same house is highly annoying." teased Kai, but was dead serious at the same time.  
Takao's eyes widened and shined. "Do you really mean that? Can Makoto and I live with you and Gou?" said the blue haired teen in somewhat disbelieve.  
"Of course. I don't want to miss another second of you." said Kai hugging Takao gently.  
"Oh Kai." said Takao crying tears of happiness. "Aishiteru." he whispered.  
"Ore mo da." (Me too) said Kai, carefully letting go of the blue haired young adult. "Shall we have some breakfast now? You don't want to get late for your lectures today." the dual haired man teased.  
"You're no fun." said Takao smiling. "Let's hope Gou didn't eat all of the peanut butter." he added teasingly.

"Gou, do you want something to drink?" asked Kai walking into the living room, after having had breakfast together with Takao. They'd talked only little about how things should go from now on, other than that Takao needed more sweets for breakfast present.  
"Soda!"  
"No soda in the morning." said Kai somewhat sternly. "Coffee, Tea or Milk." he added.  
"Tea." answered Gou. "With lots of sugar!" he added.  
Kai sighed. "Takao, could you make him some tea? I just remembered I need to send a couple of e-mails before half past eight."  
"Sure." said Takao disappearing in the kitchen again, not long after reappearing again with a steaming mug of tea.  
"Here you go." he said smiling, giving the cup at Gou. "I put in five sugar cubes." he added whispering, making sure Kai couldn't hear.  
"Really? Cool!" reacted Gou, jumping from the couch. "Thanks...who are you anyway?" added the child.  
"Gou! Manners!" called Kai from behind his laptop.  
"Sorry Dad. May I ask your name sir?" asked Gou, trying to sound serious.  
Takao grinned. "No need to call me sir. Kinomiya Takao. Nice to meet you Hiwatari Gou." said the blue haired teen, ruffling the boy's hair.  
"Kinomiya? I thought you looked familiar. You're Makoto's father, aren't you?" asked the young boy.  
Takao nodded. "That's me. But may I ask how you know Makoto? I don't remember seeing you before..." the bluenette said, sitting down opposite of Gou.  
"We bladed together a couple of times. He's pretty good!" said Gou. "I beat him though." he grinned.  
"Gou!" warned Kai again. "The story you told me was that you almost lost to Makoto..." said the dual haired man a bit teasingly.  
"Yeah...well...it doesn't matter! I won." said the boy nervously. "Can we go somewhere today dad?" he added changing subject.  
"I..." Kai was caught off guard. He eyed his lover.  
"No need to ask permission from me Kai." said Takao sitting down on the couch, smiling. "I'll be away most of the day to give lectures, remember?" he teased.  
"Sure. Where do you want to go?" answered Kai, closing his laptop and approaching his son. He sat down between Takao and his son.  
Just when Gou wanted to answer Kai's phone rang.  
"Sorry. I have to take it. Hold your thoughts Gou." said Kai apologising as he stood up and made his way to the phone.  
"Hiwatari Kai. Good morning." He answered.  
"..."  
"Ah, Mr. Dion. Yes, the receptionist told me you'd called. How can I help you?"

While Kai finished his phone call, which took quite a while, Takao had sneaked up behind Kai. As soon as the dual haired man hung up, he attempted to scare Kai, but failed miserably. Kai turned and kissed the bluenette instead. "You've got to go to school." he said, sounding just like he was team captain again.  
"I know." whined Takao. "How did you know I was trying to scare you?" he asked grinning.  
"I know you Takao. That's all. Now you should go or you'll be late." Kai said, giving Takao a small kiss. "I'll pick you up from school this afternoon, all right?"  
Takao nodded. "Sounds like a plan."  
"Takao-san..." interrupted Gou. "Why do you need to go to school? You're the same age as my dad, aren't you?" wondered the boy.  
"Actually, I'm one year older than your dad." said Takao somewhat teasingly. "But I'm not going to school to learn, I'm going to give some guest lectures."  
"Oh." said Gou, nodding in understanding. "What time does the lecture end?" asked the boy.  
"Two thirty." answered Kai before Takao could. "We'll pick him up at two forty-five."  
"Anyway..." interrupted Takao. "I'll have to go if I don't want to be late. See you this afternoon." he said smiling as he made his way to the elevator. "Aishiteru." Takao said before closing the door behind him.

"Aishiteru?" echoed Gou. "...Dad...?" asked Gou, already somewhat surprised by their kiss, and now 'aishiteru'... Even though he wasn't that old yet, he had an idea about what was going on.  
Kai sighed inwardly. "Sit down on the couch son; I've got something to tell you." Kai said while quickly disappearing in the kitchen, and returning with some sweets, giving some to Gou. The boy happily accepted, not realising his father just wanted him to eat the sweets and be silent while he explained the situation.

After Kai had explained the situation to Gou, using some simple examples, not going into details, Gou didn't really know what to say.

"..."

Kai sighed. He never thought it would be easy to explain it to his son, and he'd preferred Gou being a bit older, but he couldn't change the fact that he had to tell him now. 'Please, say something kid... The silence is making me nervous.' thought Kai, somewhat restless. He had absolutely no idea how Gou would react on the fact that his father was gay. Somewhere he was afraid Gou would see him as some sort of monster or something like that.

"..."

Gou still hadn't said anything, he just stared at his father, his mouth slightly open, as if he was going to say something, but he couldn't do so. The boy was struggling to find the right words to say.  
Suddenly though, Gou plunged himself into his fathers lap, and curled his arms around the man's waist. "I love you dad, no matter what. I like Takao-san. I don't mind...I..."  
Tears sprung in Kai's eyes. He hugged his son back. "Shh, calm down buddy. It's alright." 'It's alright.' he thought, closing his eyes and leaning back into the couch, smiling softly.

Instead of going somewhere, Kai and Gou spend the rest of the day doing nothing, except for some video games and order lunch. They ate while watching TV, Gou cuddled into his father's lap.  
"Dad?" asked the boy after a couple of minutes of silence, safe for the sounds the TV made.  
"Hnnn?"  
"...How long is Takao-san going to stay?"  
Kai looked down at his son. "I don't know." he said ruffling the boy's hair. "At least another night I think. He's got to go to school tomorrow too, but afterwards I don't know where he'll be going."  
"Does he have a big company with offices all around the world like you, too?"  
"No. He travels along the world to give lectures about the history concerning ancient spirits. His father is an archaeologist, and his brother was one too, but he works with the BBA in Tokyo now."  
"Cool!"  
"Did you finish your last sandwich? It's about time we go and pick up Takao." said Kai, taking a last bite of his own sandwich.  
"All finished!" the dual haired boy said, jumping on his feet.  
"Not yet. Wash your hands before we go first. I'll clean up." Kai offered. It wasn't often that Gou was this hyperactive active when he'd been dragged out of bed by his mother.  
'I guess he really does like Takao...Let's just hope Makoto will react the same...' Kai thought as he picked up the plates and a couple pieces of bread and made his way to the kitchen. He almost bumped into Gou, who was going to the hall to grab his coat and take on his shoes.  
"Hurry daddy!" the boy said impatiently.  
"Comin'. No need to rush. We have half an hour to walk just a few blocks." He called to his son nicely. He reached for his apartment keys and slipped into his sneakers. No need for his office cloths when he wasn't planning on working today.

Downstairs, he chatted with the receptionist for a couple of seconds, telling her to patch the most important phones to his cell, and to tell the others to call back later on.  
"Will do sir. Have a nice day, you too Gou." she said, winking.  
Gou shuddered. For some reason he had never really liked that woman. Kai, knowing Gou's dislike for her, gently took the boys hand and pulled him along. "Let's go. We don't want to let Takao wait now do we?" he said smiling. Gou nodded and followed his father.

When both of them arrived at the university, the lecture hadn't ended yet. Kai opted to wait outside, but Gou was too excited to do so.  
"But daddy! I wanna see the university from the inside!" he said with puppy dog eyes.  
"You'll see the inside of a university when you're old enough. No need to rush it. It really isn't something special. Just a building."  
"Aww, pretty please? Dad?" Gou said, trying to look as cute as he could, hoping it would persuade his father taking him inside.

It worked.

"Alright, but stick close to me. There are a lot of students in there, I don't want you to get lost."  
Gou nodded. "Of course." he said with an ear-to-ear grin.  
Kai asked the janitor where to find the college room. After being told the way both Hiwatari's searched the school to find the right room. Gou couldn't believe what he was seeing. There were so many rooms, and even more people. Even though he lived in New York for quite some time now he still couldn't get used to a big group of people. While making their way to the right room Kai heard some whispers.  
"Isn't that Hiwatari, from the blade breakers? His son looks just like him when he was younger, only without the face paint!" whispered several students to each other. "And isn't Kinomiya Takao here too? Giving a lecture about something?" added another. "I wonder what both of them are doing her in the big apple?" "His son is absolutely the most adorable boy I have ever seen!" said one of the girls. "I've never heard that he had a son..." mused another one. "Do you think he's married? He's still so young..." "Claire, he's got to be twenty-six or so. The last world champion ship he participated in was ten years ago!" corrected one of the other girls. "Isn't he loaded with cash? I mean, being CEO of Hiwatari enterprise and all?" asked another teen.  
Kai tried to ignore all the whispers, but Gou got curious. Kai had never told him he'd participated in a world champion ship. Gou didn't even know Kai had bladed when Kai was younger. He pulled his father's sleeve.  
"Dad? Did you practice a sport when you were younger? Those people seem to know you from somewhere..." Gou asked softly, afraid he was asking a wrong question.  
"I bladed, just like you, only my whole life was about blading. There wasn't a day without me training. I never told you, but I was the second of the world, ten years ago." said Kai, his voice hinting an apology.  
"Whoa, cool! I want to be a professional blader, just like you dad!" said Gou excited.  
Kai sighed. "That's why I never told you. I don't want you to live your life as I've done. You have to go to school, find a job. Blading is just a hobby"  
"But dad..." protested Gou.  
"Not now son. We're here. Do you want to go inside?" asked Kai, changing subject quite effectively.  
"Yeah!"  
"Okay, but be quiet. Takao is the teacher now, and the students need to listen to him. You can't say anything, okay?"  
Gou nodded.

Kai opened the door and let Gou go in first. He followed and silently closed the door behind him. They were in the back of the room, Takao standing in the pit, students gathered in a circle around him.  
Takao, having heard someone enter the college room, looked up and smiled. He continued with his lesson though. Kai and Gou went down about half way the stairs and sat down, a couple of chairs above the students. Kai patiently waited for Takao to finish, and meanwhile he tried to keep Gou calm. The boy was too excited for his own good. He couldn't sit still, and Kai often had to keep his own hand in front of Gou's mouth to prevent him from speaking. He sighed. 'I should've known Gou would be this excited...' he thought, whishing they'd waited outside instead of entering the room.

Takao finished his lecture with giving the opportunity to come down and ask questions. Some students who didn't have questions and were making their way up to leave the room paused when they saw Kai in the room. The students present at the lecture had signed up for this lecture either because they were interested in the ancient spirits, in the beyblade world better known as bit beasts, or interested in archaeology. Takao had given each student his autograph before starting the lesson, because he knew that if he waited to the end, everyone would come down just for his autograph and leave thereafter. He really wanted to teach the students something, and he thought this would be the best way. What he hadn't expected though, was that Kai would come into the classroom himself.  
"Hiwatari Kai?" asked one of the students carefully.  
"That's me." answered Kai, raising an eyebrow.  
"Kyaa" reacted one of the girls, making all other students look her way.  
Kai suddenly felt very conscious about the fact that he was being stared at. It had been a while since the last time he had been in a crowd and stared at.  
"May I have your autograph?" asked one of the boys, holding out a card with Takao's autograph already on it.  
"I'm your biggest fan!" cried another teen. Soon all students were lining up for Kai's autograph instead of wanting to ask Takao questions about what he'd just told. Takao sighed, and signalled Gou to come down, away from the 'mob' that was after Kai.  
The dual-haired ex-blader sighed, but signed all cards with his autograph, beneath Takao's.  
Gou happily made his way down, escaping all the students.  
"Are you as famous as dad?" asked Gou, who'd seen Takao's autograph on all cards.  
Takao raised an eyebrow. "As famous as your dad?" he echoed.  
"Yeah. He told me, on the way here, that he was the second of the world in beyblading, ten years ago! Isn't that cool?" said Gou, seemingly glowing with pride.  
Takao chuckled, earning a confused look from Gou.  
"What? What's so funny?" the boy asked.  
"I was the one your father couldn't beat Gou. I was the world champion ten years ago." Takao said smiling. He was surprised Gou's eyes didn't pop out of his head and his chin didn't reach he floor. "You're kidding." the youngster said in disbelieve.  
"I'm not. Ask your dad...when he's finished signing another dozen autographs or so." teased Takao.  
"Do you still blade?" asked Gou, not knowing if he should believe Takao or not.  
"Not professional, but I do spar with some old friends so now and then. Do you want to see my blade?" added Takao, reaching in his bag.  
"You bet!"  
Between the high-pitched screams and squeals of the girls, Kai called to Gou: "Mind your manners Gou!"  
Gou mumbled a sorry, but his gloominess disappeared as soon as he saw Dragoon.  
"Wow!" he said his eyes shiny. "May I hold it?" he asked politely.  
"Of course." said Takao, handing his blade over to Gou. The boy observed it from all sides, and was even tempted to ask if he could open it to see the inside.  
"You're blade looks a lot better than mine." he said, reaching for his own blade in the pocket of his pants, and showed it to Takao.  
Takao immediately recognised it as Black Dranzer's blade, but he sighed of relieve when he saw that Black Dranzer's bit wasn't installed in the blade. "No worries Gou. You have one of the strongest blades in the world. Be careful with it, and you'll find out eventually." Takao said, not mentioning Black Dranzer. If Kai hadn't told his son about the fact they'd been in the blade breakers, it wasn't his place to tell him about Dranzer's counterpart.

After having signed all the cards with his autograph, Kai was suddenly asked an interesting question by one of the students who was still waiting.  
"Kinomiya sensei..." he started, using Japanese, because the lecture had been in Japanese, "He told us he'd brought his blade along, but he refused to blade, because there was no-one present who could give him decent competition...Did you perhaps bring your blade?" asked the young man. "We'd love to see the previous number one and two blade against each other."

Kai was taken off guard with that question. He always carried Dranzer with him, but he hadn't expected someone would ask him to blade against Takao.  
"I've got Dranzer with me, yes." answered Kai. "But I didn't bring my launcher, and besides, I do not want to ruin this university." he teased.  
"No worries!" reacted one of the girls. "We've got an official dish in the back of the school. Roofless." she added smiling. "We have all seen the footage of the last fight, but we were all too young to be present at that time. Please, Hiwatari-san. We would really love to see you two blade." she said, bowing. The other students followed her example, making Kai gawk. He eyed Takao, who shrugged. "I don't think we're going to get away with not blading." he said, making his way to his lover, taking Gou along. He pretended as if the both of them were just friends, not lovers, and laid his hand on Kai's shoulder. "What do you say, team-captain. Shall we give these students a fight they'll never forget?" he asked somewhat teasingly, his eyes sparkling. It had been a while for both of them since the last time they bladed. For Kai it had been ten years, for Takao somewhat less. He bladed Max and Rei so now and then.

Kai sighed. "Sure. If I can borrow someone's launcher, and leads us to the dish, Takao and I will blade." he answered, earning even more squeals and cheers.

After arriving at the dish Kai got a feeling of déjà vu. Takao and he had often bladed while still at school, and somehow this felt the same, even though they were ten years older, and no longer professional bladers.  
"Gou, I don't want you to be standing too close to the dish. Stay behind me, always, you understand?" asked Kai, bending through his knees and looking his son in the eyes.  
Gou gave a questioned look.  
"This is important for me to know son. Stay behind me at all times."  
"Sure dad, if you say so."  
Kai ruffled the boy's hair. "Good boy. Did you by any chance bring your launcher?" he added. Gou shook his head. "Nope. Sorry. I did bring my blade though..."  
"No need. I've still got my own. Thanks for offering though."  
One of the other students who bladed for fun handed his launcher to Kai.  
"You can use mine." he said smiling. The youngster reminded Kai of Max somehow. The teen was small, just like Max had been, ten years ago, and had the same intense eyes, only his were green, instead of the ocean blue eyes Max had.  
"Thanks." said Kai, reaching for Dranzer in his left pocket. He took her out and quickly scanned the blade to check if it didn't show anything disturbing. There was nothing wrong with the blade, so he clicked it in the launcher. Even though the launcher was a bit lighter than his launcher was, it felt familiar, having it in his hands again. Meanwhile Takao had already readied Dragoon and was waiting for Kai.  
"We need a referee!" noted Takao. It was silent for a couple of seconds, none of the students felt like being a referee between two heroes. Suddenly though a parachute came down, with someone familiar dangling beneath it.  
"Dj Jazzman?" reacted some of the students surprised. Takao and Kai blinked, wondering the same thing: 'How did he know? I wonder how he always does it?'  
"Hiwatari, Kinomiya, It's been a while!" Jazzman said while he positioned himself at the side of the dish. "I hope you're not going to blow up the university though." he added grinning. "If it does, you've never seen me since the last championship you participated in, alright?" he added teasingly.  
Kai shrugged.  
"Sure Jazzman." said Takao. "We're ready!" he added.

"Okay. Ladies and gentlemen of this university!" he said into his microphone, somehow causing the whole university to hear him speaking.  
"This is a great day for beyblade fans who've followed the championship ten years ago, or missed it. The then champion, Kinomiya Takao, and his former team captain, Hiwatari Kai, are at this university. You should all feel blessed for having two great men like them present. Currently, they are impatiently waiting for my sign to start. Come to the blade-dish if you don't want to miss another great battle!" he called to the school.

It didn't take long before more students started to gather, teachers running after their students, some as excited as their students, some cursing beyblading.

"Three, two, one, LET IT RIP!!!!!" called Jazzman, and both men did. Both blades clashed while still in mid-air, and plunged down, continuing their attacks as soon as they landed. Sparks were already flying off the blades, and they hadn't even started being serious yet.  
'Ooh's' and 'Aah's' went through the crowd, making Takao and Kai grin. 'If they're amazed now, just wait and see!' thought Kai, grinning somewhat evilly. He wasn't planning on letting Dranzer out just yet. He could feel that he and the firebird were still a bit rusty, and he wanted to be a little bit more in control before unleashing Dranzer's power.

Takao felt somewhat the same. Even though he'd bladed not that long ago, no-one had ever been able to blade against him on the level Kai could. He felt the adrenaline rush through his body, and was yearning to get stronger and defeat Kai. He knew though, that it wouldn't be easy, even though Kai had been out of the picture for a while. The former team captain had always been strong, no matter the conditions he fought in.

Takao's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of clashing blades. Dranzer was steadily winning ground. Takao eyed Kai, seeing the smile on his lover's face. "I'm not going to make it easy for you Kai!" he said.  
"I don't expect you to. Give me all that you've got!" answered Kai, making Dranzer attack. Dragoon did the same, and both blades clashed so hard that the ground shook.

"There you have it people! Even though both of them haven't bladed against each other in years, this battle is starting to resemble their last battle in the world champion ship, ten years ago. Let us hope the ending will be different, for the university's sake!" commented Jazzman, earning laughter from the still growing crowd. It seemed like everyone in the neighbourhood, student, teacher or not, was starting to gather to watch the match.

Gou watched in awe. He'd never know his father was this skilled a blader, and he couldn't have ever imagined so many people would want to watch his father and Takao blade. He felt the ground shake, and hesitantly took a step back. He now understand why his father had told him to stay behind him at all times. He couldn't see much though, and carefully made his way to Dj Jazzman. He figured he would be safe if he stayed with the DJ too.

Kai, seeing Gou leave behind him, lost his focus for a split second. Takao and Dragoon noticed it and took the opportunity to attack. They came at Dranzer with such speed that if Kai didn't focus quickly again, he would be knocked out of the stadium. Kai noticed though and called upon Dranzer just in time. His blade started spinning in the opposite direction, fast, and a red glow surrounded it. Suddenly Dranzer burst out of her chip, and collided with Dragoon head on, pushing the dragon back into the scale. The sudden outburst of the phoenix had caused a flow of energy, which went right from the dish to the spectators, and even further. Some windows sprung, and many students couldn't keep standing. Gou dropped on his knees, and DJ Jazzman hold his arm behind the child to prevent him from sliding back. Even Takao and Kai were having trouble standing on their feet.

Takao, realising he wasn't going to win if he didn't call forth Dragoon, did so. A blue light overshadowed the red glow of Dranzer, and Dragoon appeared. Both blades circled a couple of times, not trying to hit each other, before both Kai and Takao initiated their attacks again. Another wave of energy was emitted and the students who were still standing fell on their knees or butts too. Only Kai, Takao and DJ Jazzman were still standing.

Meanwhile DJ Jazzman continued his commentary. "I don't know what you guys are feeling, but this feels like a déjà vu moment to me!" he said, eying the crowd before focusing his attention on both bladers again. "Don't repeat your last battle gentlemen. The BBA stadium was to be destroyed after the world championships anyway, this university isn't!" he warned, but Kai and Takao didn't even hear him. They were too caught up in their match. Familiar feelings were rushing through their bodies. They couldn't get enough of the match.  
"I do hope someone is monitoring the fight though." DJ Jazzman added randomly.

"Don't worry about that!" called someone, sounding out of breath. That someone managed to pull Takao and Kai out of their personal moment for a few seconds as the recognised the voice."  
"Kenny?!" both of them wondered, straying from the dish for a moment, seeing their chief running towards them, Rei and Max following behind the brunette.  
"We felt the shockwaves from the other side of New York. We came here as quick as we could." explained Max while Kenny opened Dizzy and started monitoring the battle, while in the meantime checking the blades' statistics. "Don't let us distract you. Concentrate on the battle!" added Rei.

Both Takao and Kai did as they were told, they concentrated on their blades again, which were both spinning on one spot, seemingly resting. For no reason, or so it seemed, both blades started attacking again. Takao and Kai weren't concentrating on their blades anymore, but were watching the fight between Dragoon and Dranzer itself. They couldn't care less about the blades. They'd missed seeing their bit beasts, and it seemed Dragoon and Dranzer had missed fighting each other too. If you knew better you could see that both spirits were more playing than fighting each other.

Max grinned and whispered into Rei's ear: "Our plan worked. Just look at Dragoon and Dranzer. They wouldn't be this relaxed if Takao and Kai weren't together again!" he said optimistically.  
Rei nodded. "I think so too!" he said happily. "I'm glad I don't have to feel guilty anymore about letting those two meet again." he said smiling.

"This is amazing!" cried Kenny suddenly. "Even though Kai hasn't blade in ages, his power has barely diminished!"  
"And Takao's?" wondered Max.  
"He seems stronger than the last fight I monitored."  
"No wonder." said Rei smiling. Max and I are hardly competition to him." he teased.

After another ten minutes, Takao and Kai were starting to get tired. They'd started to breath heavier, and the speed of their blades started to drop a bit. Not much, but enough to make both men realise that they had to finish their fight before their power decreased even more. They wanted to end the fight with a big bang. Not literally though, they didn't feel like destroying the university because of a long needed match.

Gou studied his father thoroughly. He wondered why he was looking above instead of watching his blade. Gou, not having too much experience with blading just yet, couldn't see bit-beast yet. Kai had once told him about some spirits which rested into some blades, but he'd never seen one before. He looked up, and eyed DJ Jazzman, who was also looking up, instead of looking at the blades.

When Dragoon and Dranzer initiated both of their final attacks though, Gou started to see a blue and a red haze, circling each other. When both attacks collided, he suddenly saw a blue dragon and a red phoenix, which resembled his father's bit in his blade surprisingly.  
"Wow!" he gawked, earning a glance from DJ Jazzman. He covered the microphone with his hand and said: "So you can see them now too? I can't wait until you're as strong as your father!" he said smiling.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, don't blink! It seems like both blades are charging and ready to use their last attack. Takao, Kai, don't overdo it." teased Jazzman.  
Takao grinned sheepishly, and Kai...was just Kai. He didn't really care what happened to the university. He just wanted to finish the battle. He didn't care if he won or not.

And then both blades clashed, emitting such a shock wave that the ground shook again. A bright flash blinded the crowd, the sound wave preventing the crowd from hearing what happened with the blades. After the light had disappeared and the sound had gone, they didn't hear anything. Anything at all. Both blades had stopped spinning and lay next to each other in the dish.

It was a tie.

"..." was DJ Jazzman's reaction.

"..." the crowd didn't know what to say.

"Daddy!" Gou was the first to react. He sped up to his father, who'd just dropped to his knees. Takao had done the same.  
"Daddy! Are you okay?" asked the boy concerned.  
"I'm fine. Don't worry." said Kai, sitting down cross legged. "Could you get Dranzer and Dragoon out of the dish?"  
"Sure."  
Meanwhile Takao made his way to Kai, after he'd managed to gather the strength to stand up again. He reached out his hand to pulled Kai on his feet.  
"That was amazing!" he said, his eyes glistering.  
"Let's finish this at my apartment, later today." offered Kai, giving Takao a small hug, not wanting to show their affection to the public just yet.  
"Sounds like a plan." said Takao grinning.

"This is amazing!" cried Jazzman, breaking the silence. "The dish is still in one piece, the university is still standing, and there is no winner yet! Care for another go?" he asked, approaching both men. "You two won't be able to rest until one of you has won." he said out of the microphone. "And when one wins, the other will train and challenge the other again." he said grinning.  
"Sorry Jazzman, this was quite enough blading for today. We're not the world champions we once were, anymore." said Takao. "...Is that a grey hair under your bandana?" said Takao teasingly suddenly.  
Jazzman froze. "Well, uh, I guess you're right. Notify me again when you decide to blade again!" he said and disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

"How does he do that?" wondered Takao, Kai, Gou and all spectators. It was silent for a couple more seconds before the crowd busted in cheers.  
"That was one hell of a battle!"  
"I can't believe it! I blinked!" cried another.  
"...Wow..."  
Takao grinned, Kai smiled and took Gou's hand.  
"Let's go home." the dual haired man said. He playfully pulled Takao's hair. "If you promise you'll behave I'll cook you something." he said, playing his role of ex team captain.

Gou watched to men in surprise, not understanding what was going on. He shrugged it off though when he heard that Kai was going to cook himself. Some might not think so, but Kai was an excellent cook, and in Gou's opinion a much better cook than his mother. When Gou was with his father though, they often ordered dinner instead of cooking it themselves, just because of the time and effort it took to make something decent.  
"What are we going to eat daddy? Could you make something special?"  
"Sure." said Kai smiling gently. "Takao will eat everything he's given, so that won't be a problem." he teased. "Chief, Rei, Max, care to join for dinner?" asked Kai. "My treat. I'm cooking." the dual coloured haired man said while making his way out of the university.  
"I'm sorry, but we already have plans." said Max apologising while clinging himself to Rei's arm.  
"Kenny?" wondered Kai.  
"Some other time, I've got a lot of work that needs to be finished." said Kenny smiling gently. "I'll give a call somewhere this week."  
Kai nodded. "See you all later then!" he said smiling while he, Takao and Gou took a left turn back to Kai's apartment, and Rei, Kenny and Max went their own ways.

After having arrived at the apartment, Gou seated himself on the couch and turned on the television. Kai disappeared in the kitchen to check what the refrigerator had to offer.  
"Gou, what do you want to eat?" called Kai, knowing that whatever he had to cook, he had to do some shopping anyway.  
"Spaghetti!"  
"What's special about spaghetti?" wondered Takao, having heard Gou's earlier question for something special to eat.  
"Dad can make anything special!" said Gou happily.  
"Is that so?" asked Takao to Kai. "I'd never thought you'd be a cook." he teased.  
"I'm not. I just mix whatever I've got at that moment, that's all. But don't tell Gou, it'll break his heart." teased Kai back.  
"..."  
"No, really, I'm not really that good of a cook. I just like to try stuff." answered Kai honestly eventually when he saw Takao's dazzled look.  
"I think the first is more believable." said Takao, cautiously stepping backwards, knowing Kai would come after him.

The dual haired man did so, and chased him through the living room. Takao disappeared on the balcony, quickly closing the sliding glass door behind him, sticking out his tongue. He knew Kai could open the door whenever he wanted, but if he hadn't changed too much, Kai wouldn't try, and just let Takao wait outside until Takao thought it to be safe. Then Kai would take action.

Kai didn't do so though. After a while he also made his way on the balcony and called Takao. "Gou and I are going to go to the supermarket. Care to join us?" asked the dual haired man smiling while he embraced the bluenette from behind. Said person was leaning on the railing and was admiring New York from above.  
"New York looks different from ten years ago..." he mused.  
"It hasn't changed much, really."  
"We have, haven't we? We're not the reckless teens of ten years ago anymore."  
"Teens, no. Reckless, perhaps." teased Kai. "What made you think about that?"  
"Nothing." replied Takao, turning so he would be facing Kai. "Shall we do some shopping? I'm starving!" he replied with an ear-to-ear grin. Kai ruffled the bluenette's hair and pulled him inside.

* * *

"Man, I'm stuffed!" sighed Takao as he let himself fall on the couch.  
"Takao..." complained Kai from out the kitchen. "I'm trying to teach Gou some manners here. You're giving totally the wrong impression!" he said somewhat teasingly.  
"Sorry." said Takao giving an apologising smile when he saw both Hiwatari's come from the kitchen after having packed the dish-washer. "It's just you're a great cook. I haven't eaten this good in ages!" complemented Takao.  
"It wasn't that special..." defended Kai, who still wasn't used to receiving praise.  
"It was!" disagreed Gou. He plunged himself next to Takao on the couch and just lay there, wasted.  
"Gou, get up. I need to sit too, and I don't think you want me to sit on you." said Kai somewhat sternly, sometimes wondering if he was the only one trying to raise him properly. He sat down next to Takao, and Gou cuddled himself in his lap.

He hadn't really spoken to Akahana in a few months, other than the occasional question if he could watch the boy, or the question from Kai to her if he could have Gou over for a while, just because. Sometimes Kai wondered if Akahana wasn't busier with her work than he was.

According to Gou she hardly ever took the time to cook properly, and often Gou would wake up alone, with a note on the refrigerator. So now and then she'd leave money for Gou to order some pizza, and she wouldn't come back until the day after. Kai was worried, but he couldn't really do much. The judge had decided long ago that Akahana had to be the one to care for Gou most of the time, for at that time she had a part-time job and enough time to take care of a child. When Gou turned two though, she was offered a full-time job, which took more than the nine-to-five weekdays. Even though Kai had to travel a lot, he had more spare time to watch over Gou. He was prepared to give up more of his office time for Gou.

Akahana rarely did.

She often 'dumped' Gou at Kai's, going off to who knows where. Kai had reason to worry, but he didn't feel like going to court again. Gou was old enough to understand what would be going on, and he didn't want to boy to go through the turmoil. Gou understood that his father and mother weren't together anymore, but he'd never known that both of them had never really loved each other. Akahana and Kai had agreed from the moment she got pregnant that they would never tell their child. Kai was worried though that Gou would find out himself one day, and blame him for not trusting him, and in the worst case, would never want to see him anymore.

But he didn't have to worry about that just yet. Being just eight years of age, Gou was pretty much oblivious to the adult world and their problems. He didn't need to know a reason for everything. Yet.

Takao noticed Kai spacing out. He hadn't seen his former team captain spaced out for a while, and he knew that Kai would have a legitimate reason for it. It wasn't easy to get Kai worried, but if he was, it wasn't easy to clear his mind.

"Kai?" Takao said nudging the man softly. Meanwhile Gou turned on the television.  
"Hmmm, yes?" reacted Kai, his thoughts still with Akahana and Gou.  
"What are you thinking about?" wondered Takao.  
"Nothing you should worry about."  
"You obviously are..." commented Takao.  
"It's nothing...Just something between Akahana and me, that's all."  
"How do you two get along? I mean, how's your relationship?" asked Takao suddenly.  
"We only have one thing in common, our love for the little squirt in my lap..." teased Kai, tickling Gou.  
"Hey! I'm not a squirt!" he complained, but when Kai stopped his tickle assault he focussed on the television again.  
"What about you and Naomi?" added Kai. He'd wanted to ask about it for quite some time now, but he'd never found the right moment, nor the right words. Takao had already broken the ice, so he figured it would be alright to ask about it now.  
"About the same as you. Gramps is fond of her, so we see each other quite regularly. We're friends, I guess." answered Takao. "If I had given up on you I think we still would be married happily at the moment, but I just couldn't forget about you, and that broke our love...Or something like that." added Takao, not really sure of his words. He'd never really talked to someone about his feelings about Naomi, but one thing was sure. He loved no-one more than he loved Kai.  
"Does Naomi know about us?" asked Kai.  
Takao nodded. "I told her just after we'd slept together, just before she found out she was pregnant."  
"How did she take it?" wanted Kai to know.  
"Really good actually. She said she'd already suspected something like that... What about Akahana?"  
"...Let's just say I'm happy that she doesn't know martial arts. I guess she could've killed me in anger when I told her. I guess she really was into me, I never really noticed." said Kai lowering his eyes, looking at Gou. He smiled when he saw that Gou had fallen asleep while watching the TMNT(x) "I'm gonna take this squirt to bed. Perhaps we should too?" wondered Kai, taking his sleeping son in his arms and made his way to the boy's bedroom.  
Takao nodded. "I'll go ahead." he answered disappearing in the bathroom.

After having tucked Gou in bed, Kai returned to the living room. Takao was sitting on the couch in one of Kai's spare pyjamas with a steaming mug of tea, waiting for the dual haired man. He'd also prepared a mug of tea for Kai. Said teen settled himself next to Takao and leaned into him. Both of them didn't say anything for a while. They just enjoyed each others company without a kid spying on them.  
"It's gonna take some getting used to, being together again, but now with our sons with us." said Takao, blankly staring at the television.  
"Hmm." was Kai's only reaction, not wanting to think about possible upcoming problems just yet. "Let's go to bed." he said after having finished his tea. "I'm pretty sure Gou's asleep by now." the dual coloured haired man said giving Takao butterfly kisses on his exposed shoulder. The pyjama top he was wearing was one size too big for Takao, even though the bluenette was taller than Kai.  
Takao made a purring sound. "Sounds like a plan..." Takao said. "Isn't Akahana coming anymore? She said she'd come to pick Gou up..." he suddenly added.  
"If she's not here before eight o'clock, then she won't be coming. Don't worry. I'm used to it. I'll bring Gou to school tomorrow morning, and Akahana will probably show up again just about dinner time tomorrow with some lame excuse." Kai said slightly irritated.  
"You want to have custody of Gou, don't you?"  
Kai nodded. "But I guess that'll be impossible unless I can prove that she's not a good mother." he added sighing slightly. "Let's just go to bed and forget about all this, and just focus on the two of us." the former blade breaker team captain said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.  
"I can't wait." purred Takao back while they chased each other to the bedroom.

**TBC**

Part three will be coming in time. I wanted to introduce Makato in this part, but I guess things changed a bit, I added a bit more than I intentionally planned. I don't know when I'll be updating again, I hope soon, but school is really killing my spare time. I'll try and update as soon as possible. 

I don't know yet how long the story will be, I haven't really got something planned to make it a long story, but perhaps if the plot bunnies will come and bug me, I'll make it a on going story. I can't promise anything though.

**Reviews feed me by the way! Feed me, feed me! I haven't eaten in an eternity XD**

(x)teenage mutant ninja turtles 


	3. Chapter 3

**Make a memory Part III **

When Gou woke up it was still dark outside.

The dual coloured haired boy didn't feel too good. He quickly went to the bathroom and hurried back into bed, but he still couldn't sleep. Finally he decided to go to his father's bedroom. He silently opened the door to the master bedroom and peeked inside. He knew Takao and his father were more than just friends, but he didn't know they slept in one bed. He didn't completely understand the concept of 'love' yet. He carefully closed the door behind him, choosing to ignore his surprise and curiosity about the bluenette who lay spooned against Kai's broad back.

Gou carefully nudged his father, knowing he was a light sleeper.

Kai slightly opened his eyes as he yawned. "Havin' trouble sleeping?" he whispered.

Gou nodded.

"Come on in." offered Kai, holding up the blanket so Gou could cuddle up in front of him.

Kai gently laid his hand on Gou's forehead. "It doesn't feel like you've got a too high temperature." The man said. "Is something else bothering you?"

Gou didn't react for a couple of seconds.

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?" Kai replied sneaking an arm around Gou's slim waist.

"Won't Takao mind?"

"Takao? No. He can sleep through everything. Don't worry about it. I'll stay next to you until you wake up, okay?"

"Thanks." Said Gou smiling as he cuddled even closer to his father.

"Oyasumi." Kai mumbled just before Gou fell asleep.

The next morning

Both Kai and Takao were woken by the sound of the doorbell. Gou was too fast asleep to notice. When the ringing didn't stop Kai finally got out of bed carefully, trying not to wake Gou. Takao groaned. He wasn't too happy with his personal stove leaving the bed.

"Who would want to talk with you this early?" groaned the bluenette, eyeing the alarm-clock. It was almost 6 AM.

"Hmmm." Kai replied as his usual self. "It must be something important though. He or she's been ringing that damn bell for five minutes now." He said while making his way to the door. He didn't bother to take anything else on than the velvet blue pants he slept in. Someone this early must know him personally.

The dual haired man opened the door. His eyes widened. Akahana, completely wasted, grinned and plunged herself onto Kai, making them both tumble over. Kai could smell the stench of alcohol.

"Akahana?" he questioned. He pushed her off him and got on his feet. She grabbed the dual haired man's leg and whined.

"Aw, come on Kai, lay next to me."

Kai sighed as he watched the woman. She was still wearing one of her business suits, but her skirt was torn at the sides and her jacket opened. Her white top was covered with stains of who knew what.

"Akahana, you're drunk." Kai stated.

"I know." She giggled.

"What are you doing here? At this time?!" he reacted highly agitated.

"I came to pick up Gou." She said sounding seriously even though she was drunk.

"You are **not** getting him. Get sober first." Kai replied pulling her on her feet. He firmly pushed her towards Gou's bedroom.

"I don't wanna sleep." She whined when she realised where Kai wanted her to go.

"Stop whining, just sleep." Kai ordered pushing her on the bed. He helped Akahana take off her jacket but didn't help her further. He didn't want to give her the wrong idea.

"I don't want to hear any other sound of you until the alcohol has left your body." He added.

"But Gou…" she started trying to sit up. A wave of nausea hit her though, which prevented her from actually doing so.

"Do you want me to call the judge to tell him in what condition you are? There's no way you can take care of our son in the state you are now." Spat Kai. He'd cropped his emotions about Akahana for a long time, and he finally broke.

"Kai, you sound so mean…" Akahana whined again, not having registered a word of what Kai had said. "Make love with me." She suddenly said. "I want you Kai, and I know you…"

"You know nothing!" snapped Kai. He stormed out of the bedroom and smashed the door closed behind him. He had to prevent himself from locking the door.

It didn't take long for Takao to appear in the living room, finding Kai on the couch, trembling slightly. He saw the front door opened, so he closed it first.

"Kai?" he asked carefully, approaching him from behind.

The younger man didn't respond. Suddenly though Gou appeared, still sleepy. He rubbed his eyes with his hands.

"Dad? What's going on?" he asked. "Why did you yell?" the boy asked yawning.

"Come here." Kai said gently, motioning Gou to come closer. He pulled his son on his lap.

"Your mother is in your bedroom. She's drunk, and doesn't know what she's doing. She just needs to sleep, then she'll go back home again." Explained Kai as calm as possible. He was incredibly angry with Akahana, but he knew better than to blame it on Gou.

"Do I need to…" started Gou hesitantly, but he didn't finish. He looked his father in his eyes.  
Kai shook his head. "You're staying with me, until I think Akahana can properly take care of you again."

"I'll go make some tea." Takao said, dismissing himself. He didn't want to be a nuisance to Kai and Gou. They needed some time alone.

"Can't I stay here forever?" asked Gou, his question sounding like he was begging.

Kai raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Why would you want that? You're mother is a nice person…"

"When she's not drinking perhaps." Gou said sounding irritated. He turned his head so he wouldn't look his father straight in the face anymore.

Kai was shocked.

_When she's not drinking?_

"Gou, what do you mean? What happened?"

"I wanna stay with you dad!" cried Gou, plunging himself on Kai's chest. Tears ran down his cheeks. "I don't wanna live with mom anymore."

"She didn't hurt you, did she?" Kai asked carefully. He wrapped his arms around the boy and gently rubbed his back.

"No." sniffed Gou. "But she can get really mean after she's had something to drink."

"Mean?" asked Kai carefully. He knew it was difficult for Gou to tell, but he needed to know.

"I made a clay phoenix at school one day. I took it home and painted it…" said Gou hiccoughing. "She came back early, but I'm not sure she even went to work. She smelled weird…she got angry…she threw the clay phoenix against the wall, saying she didn't like the red colour." Gou said sniffling. "The teacher had given me an A for it…" he added bursting into tears.

"Shhh….It'll never happen again, I promise." Kai said reassuringly.

"You can stay with me as long as you want. Mom won't ever break anything that belongs to you anymore."

Takao, having overheard parts of the conversation, carried a tray with three mugs of steaming tea and some sandwiches.

"You'll have to convince the judge, you know that love." Takao said nicely, sitting down next to Kai and Gou.

Kai sighed. "I'll work it out."

"Dad?" interrupted Gou.

"Yes son?"

"Do I have to go to school today?"

Kai was silent for a while.

_I don't think it's wise for him to be here when Akahana wakes up…_ Kai thought

_Though I don't think he will be able to concentrate at school._

"Why don't you come with me?" offered Takao. "Your dad will work at home and take care of your mother, and you can help me with my lessons. What do you think?" said Takao smiling brightly.

Gou's eyes twinkled "Can I dad?" he asked.

Kai nodded. "I'll call school and tell them you won't be coming today. Are you okay with being alone with Takao?"

"Sure." Gou said happily.

"I'll call school then. I'll be right back." Kai said lifting Gou up and put him on Takao's lap.

Around eight 'o clock Kai retreated to the master bedroom and used his cell phone to call the school in stead of using the fixed connection in the living room. He didn't need Gou to hear the conversation.

"Good morning." Kai said. "Hiwatari Kai. I wanted to tell you that Gou won't be going to school today. He isn't feeling too well." He added.

"Hiwatari Gou…" repeated the receptionist to make sure she'd heard it right.

"Yes." Kai replied.

"I'll write it down and notify his teacher. Does he have the flue?" asked the woman.

"No. He's just…well, his mother and I got into a fight and he's a bit…confused." Kai admitted. The school knew that they weren't married and had problems, so he wasn't trying to hide it. "Why the question?" asked Kai slightly surprised. "It's never been a problem before…" he said.

"No, I mean, it's not a problem. It's just… he's been called in sick quite often in the last few months. Let me take a look at the records." She said while searching for Gou's file in the computer system. "Oh, I see now. He's been called in sick five times, today including. Miss Akahana called Gou in sick the other four times. We were wondering if he had some sickness, but he seems healthy enough…"

"He is. I wouldn't know why Akahana would call him in sick. He's perfectly healthy…"

"I know it's not my place, but perhaps you should discuss this with her, mr. Hiwatari."

"I will. Thanks for telling me."

"You're welcome. Have a nice day."

"You too. Goodbye."

After having disconnected the call, Kai immediately pressed the speed dial button.

"Kenny here. What's up Kai?" the former team wiz kid said recognising Kai's number.

"Come to my apartment in three hours; bring a lawyer and someone of childcare with you. Things are heading in the wrong direction with Akahana." Said Kai, leaving no room for discussion.

"Are you and Gou all right?" asked Kenny concerned.

"Yeah." The dual haired man answered. "Can you make it?" he added.

"Of course. I'll be there at eleven."

"Thanks Kenny."

"Kai?" called Takao from the living room.

"I'm coming. Just a second." Replied Kai, trying to look calmer than he actually was. He forced a smile on his face for Gou's sake.

"Ready to go along with Takao for today?" asked Kai ruffling Gou's hair. The boy was already standing near the front door, eager to leave.

"You bet!" Gou reacted happily, smiling brightly.

"Have fun. Don't cause Takao problems, okay?"

"Sure." Nodded the boy.

"Don't spoil him too much or he'll never want to go to school anymore." Kai whispered in Takao's ear, kissing him on the lips several times.

"Sure." Takao said. "Are you alright though?"

"I'll be fine. Focus on your lectures; I have to handle this myself." Kai said softly, glancing at Gou who redid his shoe laces for the fourth time.

"Love you." Takao said smiling. He hugged Kai.

"Love you too." Kai replied.

He waved goodbye and closed the door behind him. When he was sure that the elevator had gone down he punched his fist into the wall. Hard.

"Damn!" he yelled. 

_Damn, that hurts!_

The knuckles of his right hand were white, his skin hurting and raw.

He brushed the pain off though and made his way to the kitchen to make some more tea. He knew he wouldn't be able to work at all today. He would just fire someone for arriving ten seconds too late.

When the tea was finished, Kai took the mug with him on the balcony. He leaned his elbows on the railing, ignoring the morning breeze.

"…Akahana…" he sighed. "How are we going to solve this?" he wondered.

After having finished the tea he went to check upon Akahana, only to find her in a deep sleep. Kai could still smell the alcohol.

"Gou will never sleep in that room again unless I let it be decontaminated." Kai sighed.

A little before eleven Kenny arrived at Kai's apartment. After Kai opened the door Kenny quickly pulled his friend, the lawyer, inside. "Child protection will be here in an hour. What's happened Kai? Are you and Gou really alright?" he asked sounding really concerned.

"Kenny, really, physically Gou and I are perfectly fine. Sit down, I'll explain what happened." Kai answered.

"……….."

After having explained the situation, Kai spoke to Kenny's friend. "Are you familiar with the case about Gou?" He asked.

Alexander nodded. "Kenny mailed me the case just after he called me. I wasn't able to read the whole file, but I understand the situation." He said, brushing a strand of long pitch black hair out of his face. He had his shoulder length hair tied back into a pony tail, but left two strands out of the tie. He was dressed in semi-formal clothing. No real business suite, but he wasn't wearing casual clothing either. "The biggest problem will be that you'll have to convince the judge, and this can only be done by having proof that Miss Akahana isn't able to take care of Gou."

"I figured so." Kai said sighing slightly. "What sort of proof do I need to think about? The records of school, that she called Gou in sick four times while he was perfectly healthy?"

"For example, but only that specific a thing won't be enough. Have there been other situations of which there is proof that Akahana isn't a good mother?"

"Situations enough, but it'll be difficult to prove it." Kai said closing his eyes for a couple of seconds while the thought of different situations in the past. "Isn't her full time job a point that we can bring on? She could have Gou because she had a part-time job at the time, but I've got more time for Gou at the moment than she has."

"Perhaps, but sometimes a switch of jobs doesn't effect the decision made by the judge." Kenny said before Alexander could react. Said man was reading a particular part of the case Kenny had sent him earlier.

"You're right in that Kenny." Alexander said leaving a short pause. "But in this case I think it will be one of the determining factors of who gets custody over Gou. The decision back then, if I read it correctly, was mostly based on the fact that she had more time because of her part-time Job and Mr. Hiwatari had his grandfather's business to take care of."

"I still hear hesitation in your voice." Kai noted.

Alexander nodded. "It won't be easy. At that time Gou was still a baby, he wasn't affected much by the situation. He is old enough to understand what is going on, but too young to understand why. The defence will try and take us down with the argument that Gou needs a stable situation with little changes. Moving from Akahana to you might be a big change for him."

Kai shook his head. "I'm not worried about that. He's more with me than with Akahana anyway. She drops him hear three days a week at least, and most of the time I need to watch him in the weekends too. I don't mind. I love my son and I love having him around. I just can't stand it that Akahana can't take care of him. She promised me and the court back then that she would take good care of him. She's obviously not keeping that promise." He said getting angry again. "Gou can take better care of himself than Akahana can take care of him. When he's at Akahana's, he's alone most of the time because she has to work. There have been several times that Gou called me because Akahana promised to cook dinner but never showed up."  
"The judge will ask for Gou to tell his experiences, both with you and Akahana. He'll have to describe the good things, but he'll also have to tell what he doesn't like. Do you think he'll be up to that?" Alexander asked switching subject.

"No!" reacted Kai instinctively. "I don't want him to be involved in this. I don't want him to get the feeling that he has to choose between the both of us. Although Akahana might not be the best mother around, she **does** love Gou, and Gou loves her. I can't make him choose."

"I'm afraid that Gou's opinion will be crucial for the case. I don't think the lawyer of Akahana will call Gou up because he knows the risks of Gou saying negative things about Akahana. If you are certain that Gou doesn't mind living with you rather than with Akahana, he'll be the best point with which we can take them down." Alexander said.

"I don't want strangers asking him about the situation at both his homes." Kai said stubbornly. "He's just nine!" he added

"What if…" started Kenny. "What if I ask that set of questions to him instead of Alexander? I have the authority to do so. I can talk with Gou before hand, make sure he feels okay with it all and is somewhat relaxed. I agree with Alex, Kai. Gou might be your best defence."

"I really don't know if…" started Kai, but he was interrupted by a sound from Gou's room.

"Oh, I guess Akahana is awake." He said bluntly.

Kenny and Alexander blinked.

"She's here?" they said surprised in unison.

Kai nodded. "Could you excuse me for a moment? I need to make sure she doesn't break anything." He said standing up. He made his way to Gou's bedroom, leaving a dazzled Kenny and Alexander in the living room.

Kai politely knocked before entering the bedroom. "Akahana?" he called.

A groan was the only reply.

"Akahana, I'm coming in." the dual coloured haired man said just before he opened the door.

"Kai!" Akahana said weakly. She smiled. "I missed you Kai."

Said man sighed. "The alcohol still hasn't worked out I guess. Are you up to standing? You need a bath." Kai asked, pulling Akahana up straight gently. He had to prevent himself from backing off because of the smell.

"Of course I can stand!" Akahana said childishly, swinging her legs out of bed. She stood up, immediately regretting it. Another wave of nausea hit her and she would've fallen back on the bed if not for Kai.

"You really need to take a bath. I've got guests though, so take on a bathrobe first before going to the bathroom." He warned.

"Guests?" echoed Akahana in disbelieve. "You have guests? It's a miracle! The solitary animal finally made some friends!!" She spat suddenly, her mood changing in just a few seconds.

Kai tried to ignore the sudden outburst of the woman, but it wasn't easy for him. He'd been called names worse than Akahana had now, but the way Akahana said it was enough to make Kai's blood boil.

"I could just throw you out of my apartment and leave you on the street if you want. Your choice, your funeral. Decide now." He said annoyed.

That remark silenced the woman for a while. She hadn't expected Kai to be that hard on her.

"But Kai…." She whined.

"No buts. Do you want to take a bath or not?"

…

"I do." She finally said.

"Then I'll get you a bathrobe. Don't move." Kai said.

Akahana nodded.

"Just a few seconds and I'll get back to you." Kai announced as he crossed the living room to go to the master bedroom. He picked on of his older bathrobes out of the closet and took it to Gou's room.

Kenny and Alexander blinked. "What is going on?" the asked each other at the same time.

Kai disappeared to Gou's room again, handing the bathrobe to Akahana, helping her taking it on because she was still too drunk.

"Do you think you'll manage in the shower or do I need to prepare a bath?" asked Kai as he offered his shoulder for her to lean on. He didn't really want the woman so close to him, but he had no choice. Gentleman he was he would take her at least to the bathroom.

"I can take a shower alone Kai. Don't act like I'm a child." Spat Akahana, her mean drunk mood showing again.

"Fine." Kai said sighing. "Good, then I can go back to my guests once you're ready." He said while guiding her to the door.

Alexander and Kenny were talking about the case when they noticed Kai and Akahana cross the room. They fell silent, not only because they were surprised to see Akahana looking **that** terrible – neither of them had seen her ever before though – but also because they didn't want her to realise they were talking about her.

"I can see why Kai … you know…went to bed with her… I bet that when she's sober and clean and all, she's difficult to resist…" Alexander whispered.

Kenny nodded.

After a few more minutes both men heard water running and shortly after Kai returned from the bathroom. He sighed deeply as he let himself fall on the couch.

Before Kai could comment on what just had happened, Alex interrupted. "Let's go through the case and make up a plan of defence. I'm certain that if the judge had been here just now he would've given you custody over Gou immediately."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Takao-san?" asked Gou in one of the small breaks between lessons.

"You may skip the formalities Gou. Takao is fine." The blue haired man said smiling. "Is something bothering you?" he added.

"No, no, I mean…I was thinking about dad. Do you think he'll be alright?" the kid wondered.

"Of course." Takao said. "You're father is one of the strongest persons I know." He explained ruffling the boys hair.

"You think so?" asked Gou gleaming.

"I know so." Takao assured. "So, you ready for the next class?"

"Definitely!" Gou said practically bouncing off his chair.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Akahana took her good time showering. After forty-five minutes she finally turned the water off. The shower had done a good job waking her up, and even though she still had some alcohol in her system her head was a lot clearer now, despite the headache she felt coming up.

She noticed that her clothes were dirty and partially ripped.

"I can't take this on…" she mused, taking the bathrobe back on. She didn't know if Kai still had some clothing of her, but she figured she could better ask than roam around. She knew how Kai would probably react, and she wasn't looking forward to another scowling.

She carefully left the bathroom and peeked over to where Kai was. She wondered who the persons were he was talking with, it looked serious.

"Kai?" she asked carefully, not straying far from the bathroom door.

"One minute." The dual haired man reacted. "I'll be with you in a second."

"How are you feeling?" asked Kai, not really out of genuine interest, but out of obligation.

"Fine. Awake. Do you perhaps have some cloths of me still here? I'd rather not take on the clothes I came with…"

"I don't think so, but I'll check." He said taking the other door to the master bedroom. Akahana followed him, immediately noticing that both sides of the bed looked like someone slept in them.

"Are you seeing someone?" she asked scanning the bedroom for other signs, while Kai rummaged through his closet.

"Why would you think that? Am I not the lonely kind?" reacted Kai, sighing when he didn't find anything of Akahana on the most logical places.

"Your bed. Both sides are slept in." she explained trying not to sound jealous.

"Oh, Gou slept with me tonight." Kai said, not feeling like telling Akahana that he **was** seeing someone, a man, nonetheless.

"Oh…" the woman said.

"I'm afraid I only have something of my own for you to wear. I guess you took your last things with you last time you were here."

"It'll have to do. I have to go to my apartment before I go back to work anyway." She said while taking the clothes from Kai. Simple jeans with a white cotton turtleneck sweater. "I'll bring them back soon." She promised, starting to undo the tie which held the bathrobe closed.

Kai took it as his cue to leave. "I've got to go back to my company. Just call if you need anything else. You may make breakfast for yourself if you want." Kai offered and quickly disappeared from the bedroom.

"Thanks." Akahana said softly. She quickly changed into the clothes given her and brushed her hair. Luckily she had a hair band of her own with her. She combed her hair and tied her shoulder blade length blond hair up in a high ponytail, leaving one strand loose.

When she was finished Alexander was ready to leave, making their way to the door.

"Well then, I'll make a formal document about the case and e-mail it as soon as it finished." Alexander said, taking his coat on.

"I'd appreciate it. I'll call for another time we can talk about it." Kai said opening the door.

"See you soon then." The raven haired man said and left.

"When did you say that guy of…you know, would come?" asked Kai to Kenny, closing the door behind him. He noticed Akahana, so he didn't mention that someone of child support would be coming.

"Anytime now."

"Oh, okay." Kai said feeling a bit uncomfortable. He'd rather not have Akahana present during the first conversation.

"I'll be going back to my apartment now. Thanks for offering breakfast, but I don't think I can hold anything solid inside for a while. I'll just get my clothes and leave you two alone." Akahana offered, quickly disappearing to Gou's bedroom.

She left without saying another word.

Kai and Kenny made their way back to the living room. Kai dropped on the couch and sighed deeply. "This is too much. An international company I can lead, but taking care of the drunken mother of my child? That's torture." He said somewhat teasingly.

"I can imagine." Kenny teased back. "It's a good thing though that she left before the man of child support came. I don't think she would've appreciated it."

"Tell me about it. I'm happy she didn't suspect anything with Alexander already. She really has a knack for such things, but I guess the alcohol did a good job." He said the sarcasm visible in his voice.

"Shall I make some tea?" Kenny offered.

"Yeah…" Kai said absentmindedly. "Wait a second, this is my house. Let me make some tea for you." He added snapping back to reality.

"No really, I know where to find it. I'll do it. Try to relax a bit Kai. We both know you need to." The brunette said heading towards the kitchen.

"Sure thing 'Chief'." Kai teased.

"Don't mock with me, 'Captain'." Replied Kenny grinning.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Just when Takao had finished his lecture and had answered all questions, his cell phone rang.

"Kinomiya Takao." He said when he didn't recognise the number.

"Takao!" called Naomi, sounding desperate.

"Naomi? What's going on? Where are you calling from? You sound awful." Takao said honestly, knowing Naomi didn't like belittling.

"I feel horrible. It's my father Takao. He's sick. Badly. I'm at the hospital at the moment. I'm coming to New York tomorrow, he can go to a hospital there where there are doctors who know how to treat him. Can you take care of Makoto? I know it's a couple of days before I promised, but I really don't have enough time for him at the moment." She asked desperately.

"Of course. When will you be arriving at the airport? I'll pick you up."

"About 10 in the morning."

"I'll be there."

"Thank you Takao."

"No need to thank me. Are you alright though?"

"Yes…yes, I'm fine. Just tired. Do you want to speak with Makoto? He's practically hanging on my arm." Naomi teased.

"Of course." Takao said happily.

"Daddy!!" Screamed the hyper-upped child. "I'm going to New York!"

"I know buddy. I'll give you a grand tour as soon as you are here." He said.

"Yay!"

"Don't forget to bring your blade with you!" Takao said.

"I always have it with me!" Makoto said smiling.

"I know. See you tomorrow then. Take care of your mother, okay?"

"Of course! I'll make sure nothing happens." The boy said.

"I love you Makoto."

"Me too." The boy said still bouncing.

Makoto handed the phone to Naomi again, both her and Takao talking about the meeting point and some other things.

"Okay, we'll see you tomorrow morning then." Naomi said.

"Take care."

"Makoto is coming to New York?" asked Gou excited.

Takao nodded. "He is. He was with his mother for a couple of weeks, but he'll be staying with me again for some time."

"Will he also be coming to dad's apartment?"

Takao didn't answer immediately. "I'm not sure yet. I've got to talk about it with your dad." He answered honesty eventually. "Let's go home." He added smiling. Takao quickly packed his bag and showed Gou the way out. Meanwhile he text messaged Kai.

_Coast clear?_

He received a quick answer.

_The she-devil has left, yes. Child support is here right now, but you can come home. _

"What's so funny?" asked Gou when he saw Takao smile at the message.

"Oh, something between your father and I." Takao teased.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When the woman of child support stepped out of the elevator, Takao and Gou greeted her and went in.

"Dad!" said Gou excitedly, hugging his father enthusiastically after they'd entered the apartment. "Makoto is coming to New York!" he said smiling as if he shone.

"He is? That's good to hear. You can practise together with him then." Kai said ruffling his son's hair.

"Yeah! I'm gonna practice now though. I'll be outside on the balcony." The boy said getting his blade and launcher and went outside.

Takao dropped his bag next to the couch and gave Kai a kiss.

"Kids these days, they say everything before we even get the chance." He teased. He sat down on the couch. "Naomi is coming to New York. Her father has fallen ill, and the doctors in Japan don't know how to treat him." Takao explained.

"That's bad news." Kai said sitting down next to his lover.

Takao nodded. "He's old. Very old, but still very lively. Just like gramps. Anyway, Makoto is coming along as well, and she asked if I wanted to look after him for the last week she was supposed to have him over." The blue haired man explained.

"And now your hesitating to choose either to stay with me or go back to your own place?" asked Kai.

Takao nodded again. "I'm not sure what he'll think of staying here. I never told Makoto about how close we are. Gou took it well, but I really don't know how Makoto will react."

"If he's anything like you he'll love it." Said Kai smiling. "He won't care about us, but he'll definitely be ecstatic that he can practise his blading together with Gou." Kai said.

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"Are you okay with having him here? He's worse than I was at that age."

"I doubt that's possible." Teased Kai.

"Are you really sure?"

"Of course." Said Kai giving a warm smile.

Takao leaned into Kai. "Thank you." He whispered.

Kai embraced the bluenette and the both of them just sat there for a while.

"Oh! Right. How did things go with Akahana?" asked Takao after a few minutes of silence.

Kai groaned. "Please. I'd almost forgotten about her…"

"That bad?" asked Takao carefully.

"I'm not sure if I've ever seen her like that. Really, it still amazes me that I saw something in her."  
"I know why. She's pretty, in her own way." Takao said reassuring Kai.

"Hmmm. She wasn't this morning…When she woke up I was talking with Kenny and a friend of him who's a lawyer. She took a long shower and quickly left. I guess she felt embarrassed because her skirt was ripped and her top was stained. Not long after she left child support came, and you're here now." Told Kai smiling at the last part. "You're definitely the best part of this morning." The dual haired man added. He gave Takao a kiss on his cheek and leaned into the man.

**To be continued. **

I know this is an annoying end of the chapter, but because of school I won't be updating in a while. I figured it would be better to post what I have now than let you wait even longer "

Makoto will appear in the next chapter, **that** I can promise you, so stick with me, feed my muse. It loves reviews!

Tnx for all of you who have added me to your alerts/favs and posted the wonderful reviews, I appreciate it!!

Until next time.

/chainedwings


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